The present invention relates to nitrogen purification and, more particularly, to a nitrogen purification device employing a honeycomb ceramic structure that purifies nitrogen by removing oxygen from a gaseous nitrogen source.
Purified nitrogen is utilized in a variety of modern applications. Three conventional supplies of nitrogen gas include liquid nitrogen dewars, gas cylinders of nitrogen, and a nitrogen supply generated by passing air through bundles of semi-permeable membranes. All three of these sources of purified nitrogen have disadvantages. Specifically, nitrogen source dewars and cylinders are typically vendor-based products that are subject to cost fluctuations, supply shortages, and shipping and handling difficulties. The membrane based generators suffer from low flow rates, relatively low purity levels, relatively high initial cost, and relatively high maintenance costs. Accordingly, there is a need for a nitrogen generation scheme that overcomes the above-noted shortcomings associated with conventional nitrogen sources.